Why it's no longer a good idea to out-dress your waiter

Smart casual. I fear those two words even more than 'tasting menu' when I see them on a restaurant website. What does smart casual even mean? Am I allowed to wear my favourite pair of Edwin jeans?

Should I wear a jacket? Does no trainers mean the same thing whether it's a grubby pair for the gym or this season's Raf Simons?

My grandfather's generation would never have dreamed of going out for lunch or dinner without a jacket and tie but times have changed. Over the past few years London has followed New York in terms of informality when it comes to new restaurants. Fera - Simon Rogan's new restaurant at Claridge's - has done away with tablecloths, thereby creating a more informal atmosphere to the rest of the five-star Mayfair hotel. AA Gill noted in his recent review that he was the only person in the restaurant wearing a tie; yet one well-known private club frequented by media types is famous for not allowing anyone in wearing a suit and tie.

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The question is, should restaurants and clubs these days enforce a dress code? Of course, shorts and flip-flops are strictly for poolside, but should we be told what to wear when going out to eat?

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In the grand opulence of this hotel, my Hardy Amies woven navy tie and Barena jacket didn't feel out of place amongst staff in tails.

A time and place for a dress code, one could say...

Recently, staff dress code has been a topic of conversation amongst the food world. At Rivea in the Bulgari hotel in Knightsbridge, staff are kitted out in casual cardigans and sneakers resembling a J Crew fashion shoot rather than front of house for an Alain Ducasse restaurant - but, again, it helps to create the more relaxed, informal atmosphere he is after. The staff at Russell Norman's casual-dining rooms, Polpo and Spuntino, are encouraged to reveal tattoos and show off piercings; yet the maitre d's at Nuno Mendes' restaurant at The Chiltern Firehouse - currently London's most in-demand dining room - wear cream, double breasted blazers that wouldn't look out of place at Harry's Bar in Venice.

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Restaurants that still insist on dress codes seem to have them in place mainly for the male diners, yet as Fera and Chiltern Street Firehouse suggest, not everyone feels the need to enforce one. Time has moved on, as has the smarter end of restaurant industry. It seems the modern restaurateur is now comfortable with the fact that the modern male can be trusted in dressing